'Staunch Nationalists' don't campaign for Labour
Michael Grech's in the next car: he's a staunch Nationalist, you know
“I had a personal preview of the coming bloodbath when I dropped in at election-eve drinks organised by friends of Louis Grech for their Labour hero. A lawyer well known for his staunch Nationalist beliefs could hardly contain himself. “I feel as if I am at a Nationalist meeting,” he told me. Allowing for a few Labourite exceptions, it was a succinct description of the evening.”
– Lino Spiteri, The Times, yesterday
Lino Spiteri was impressed. I, on the other hand, think this sort of thing is at once hilarious and sad. If this lawyer campaigned for the Labour Party in this election, then by definition he does not have “staunch Nationalist beliefs”. Somebody who campaigns for the Labour Party has Labour beliefs, whether staunch, fickle, opportunist, fly-by-night or permanent. You can’t campaign for the Labour Party and identify yourself as a “staunch Nationalist” or even as just “a Nationalist” – not unless you suffer from split-personality syndrome. “Oh, I’m Nationalist, but I’m campaigning/voting for Louis Grech.”
Don’t make me laugh.
What happens when you try to keep a foot on either side of the fence is that you get the sharp end of a fence-post up your nether regions.
“I feel as if I am at a Nationalist meeting,” this bozza tal-elf told Lino Spiteri. Well, that’s why he was comfortable there then, rather than facing up to the reality that he was busy campaigning for Anglu Farrugia’s party. Lino Spiteri is not a foolish man and generally he has insight into people and situations.
So he should know that the true test of the real zeal of ‘staunch Nationalists’ for Labour is not a cocktail party of ‘people like us’ at which they feel as though they are at a Nationalist meeting, but a real honest-to-goodness Labour Party mass meeting at which they are surrounded by 50,000 members of the working-class in interesting outfits, all of them chanting with one voice Viva l-Labour, viva l-Labour, viva l-Labour, hej.
I don’t think they’d be very comfortable driving around after a Labour electoral victory with one of those flags in their car-window, either. Nor will any of those people at that drinks party, I can assure you, not if I know them well enough.
Joseph Muscat is proud because he has won over these people to the Labour fold. “They never voted Labour before,” he trilled during his victory speech.
Take my advice, sir: if somebody is too ashamed to walk out in public with your party’s flag, too disgusted or irritated by the rest of your supporters to go to one of your mass meetings and stand there with them, and too embarrassed to go to one of your candidate’s vote-catching parties unless all the other people there are “staunch Nationalists” and ‘people like us’ instead of NQLUs, then he or she isn’t really one of your supporters but a flash in the pan.
Muscat can argue that it’s because they’re not the type to run around with celebratory political flags, car-cade or go to mass meetings. Rubbish. You should have seen them in 2003, and even, I would say, in 2008.
Or maybe they just have flags for all occasions, one of them to be brought out only in small gatherings of like-minded people. And if that description sounds sleazy, it’s because it is.
Michael Grech
Many of you have been asking about Michael Grech, the lawyer who appeared on television to announce that he is campaigning for the Labour Party. Yes, he is Austin Gatt’s cousin. And yes, he is the very same lawyer who has worked on many government contracts over the last few years, including the bulk of the government’s privatisation consultancy work. Having fed all he can at this particular trough, Grech may have decided that it’s time to move on and see his way through to another trough.
I wish to make it clear that it is not his decision to vote Labour that I hold in absolute contempt, because people are free to vote for whoever they please, which is why the ballot is secret. No, what I hold in absolute contempt is the absence of sound judgment and complete lack of integrity. It is a display of weak-willed, shallow vanity at its worst.
We are free to vote for whom we please, but campaigning is another matter. When we put an opinion out into the public sphere, we have to consider the consequences for those around us. To do anything less is despicable and lacks honour. Michael Grech has embarrassed and compromised many people with his behaviour, not least, I would imagine, his colleagues. I notice that egocentric behaviour with no thought to the consequences for others seems to have become the order of the day.
Be a man, Michael Grech, and if you wish to carry on campaigning for Labour, then have the decency to sever your connections with the government and take your money from Joseph Muscat. If you don’t sever those connections, then I trust the government has the good sense to sever them itself. You deserve no more. If you receive because of your connections, then you also lose because of your connections. That’s the way it goes. To continue feeding at the government trough while undermining the government is so far beyond the pale that I cannot even find the words to describe it.
I cannot imagine ever working for a client while simultaneously seeking to undermine that client and campaigning against him/her/it/them. In any case, it could never happen because I would be sacked immediately.
I hold the same opinion of Salvino Busuttil who, after having snuffled at the trough for years, licking butts in search of ambassadorships and appointments, has now drawn a blank in terms of further opportunities under this government – and not a moment too soon. And so he has turned his favour-currying attentions to Labour, endorsing Marlene Mizzi in her promotional video.
There’s a Maltese word for people like this, and it begins with ‘q’. And no, I am not talking about the Labour thug from Zejtun, but you’re pretty close. All you have to do is swap the ‘u’ for an ‘a’, and you’ve got it.
Disgusting.
Better one person with integrity, of whatever political background, than a hundred people without. In my 40-odd years on this earth I have learned one thing above all others: that people who behave like this in one situation will behave the same way in others. It is only a matter of time. And trust. By making use of those who are devoid of character, Labour will discover, eventually, that it is hoist by its own petard.
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Naf li m’ghandux x’jaqsam, imma …
The pea-brains at Maltastar think they are trying to incite the public about “Austin’s Jaguar” costing 29,750 Euros. I think they’ve got their currency mixed up. Either that, or they must think that Joseph Muscat’s Alfa is a more prestigious vehicle. Mur ifimhom!
[Daphne – The pea-brains also fail to understand the difference between personal property and state property. ‘Austin’s Jaguar’ is not Austin’s Jaguar at all. It belongs to the government of Malta, and will still be there for Anglu Farrugia to use in 2013 – though by then he will probably want the newest model.]
Maybe he’ll settle for an elephant instead.
Anglu Farrugia might want an elephant not a jaguar.
“m’ghandux x’jaqsam” – you must be kidding. There is a very close family relationship between Michael and Austin.
Daphne, your last comment suggests you’re convinced that Labour will win the next general election. Seeing how spot on you were on the outcome of the EP elections, I think the party in government should pull up its socks. The question is: does the government understand what it takes to win the next election on solid ground? The idea of this Labour party in government is particularly frightening.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M5bW8udFlsI
We will be seeing many more Michael Grechs during the next four years. Ma tafx int……ghax jekk jitla’ l-Labour….
[Daphne – Niehdu xi haga.]
Nista’ nsemmi hafna Michael Grechs li taparsi daru maghna (Eileen Montesin, Chiara, Vince Farrugia) u li qed ipappuha ahjar minn hafna Nazzjonalisti ta’ Veru. U minhabba nies bhal dawn li hafna minna ma marrux jivvutaw, ghax sewwa dawn sabu s-sodda mifruxa u ahna li ffrontajna sidirna kontra r-regim tal-LP tat-80s naqilghu fuq wiccna. Jien ma ninsiha qatt lil Eileen tkanta ‘Run rabbit run’ mhux imbilli issa taparsi dahret.
Dawn gakbini u trid toqghodilhom attenti.
The flag in the photo says “OUR PARTY”, so anybody can join in!
When has attending a party on invitation become “campaigning”?
[Daphne – Michael Grech campaigned for Labour in this election. He went on television and said so. Attending a party for a candidate is not campaigning, but it is a signal of support, if not for the candidate him/herself, then for the party on whose ticket the candidate is standing. I would always accept an invitation from Louis Grech, just as he has accepted mine, except when it is an ‘election party’. When you go to an election party it is not a declaration of friendship but of political support.]
And now it seems we have moved on to “naming and shaming” people who dare be within the same four walls with a Labour politician. This is getting really scary. No wonder that when the Labour Party publishes technical reports their authors are kept anonymous.
[Daphne – You are being absurd. Nobody is mentioning guests at the party, because they are private persons who have every right to do as they please. But a government consultant who campaigns in public for the opposition has clearly relinquished his right to be considered a private person and has entered the public arena. I might add that when a government consultant actively campaigns for the opposition it is not his political views that are in question but his capacity for sound judgment. I cannot conceive of a situation in which I would campaign, actively or otherwise, against one of my clients, taking their money for consultancy and then undermining their interests. It’s shocking behaviour. I find it interesting that the Labour Party laps up this sort of thing, failing to understand that a person who has shown complete lack of integrity in one situation will invariably show it in others. I don’t despise people for their political views, Albert – far from it, and if you don’t believe me on this, ask Louis Grech. But I absolutely cannot stomach lack of integrity. Once a person has shown signs of this, they’re finished as far as I’m concerned.]
OMG! Daphne. Are you intimating that there are ‘staunch blues’ who are rushing to position themselves in front of the 2013 ‘red’ trough? Please still my heart, Say it’s not true.
[Daphne – It’s not like you haven’t lived here for years, Harry. Integrity isn’t very high on the list of Maltese character traits. I think many people are unable even to define the word.]
Daphne, well put. I am very proud to have two Maltese/Canadian grandchildren now, and will ensure that integrity is an integral part of their character.
When I hear a Labour supporter speak about how bad things are in Malta and how “many people are hurt” (isn’t it funny how it’s always ‘other’ people) I sort of understand – Labour supporters have been in opposition for many years now and so they vent, but when I hear the whining coming from Nationalist supporters, I really can’t understand.
Nationalists and those who swing from one side to another and all those who have a bit of sense in their heads cannot say they feel ‘hurt’ by what government is doing. They cannot say that Gonzi is heading in the wrong direction. They can definitely not say that Malta is being led by a bunch of incompetent fools – but they are willing to bring in a bunch of incompetent fools by wasting their votes.
To all those who say that they feel ‘hurt’ by the government’s actions I ask them to reflect, take a look around them and then take a look at what is happening around the globe. I ask – are you ‘hurt’ by the fact that whilst major economies are struggling with millions of unemployed persons Malta has barely been hit?
Are you hurt by the fact that through our recent accomplishments under a Nationalist government we were able to face the greatest depression since the second world war with a strong currency and with the support of the strongest economy? Are you hurt by the fact that the Nationalists struggled against all the scaremongering of people like the Labour leader who advised us against the EU and the eurozone? Are you hurt because you live in a country which, with all its defects, is slowly being transformed into one of the European countries we used to dream of being?
Once you have answered these questions you should then ask: am I willing to entrust my country to a person who has no idea of how ministries work, how to deal with civil servants, how to deal with the bureaucracy? To people who do not tell us what they are going to do when in government but who only ride on the people’s discontent until they get to power? To people who still idolise Mintoff and Karmenu Mifsud Bonnici and their regimes?
And for those who say “u mhux xorta, more of the same”, Isay you have no idea what you are talking about.
When the Nationalists are in government we might grumble about the water and electricity bills are too high but this is at a time when all the world is facing rising power costs and also it is better to grumble about the cost of power than to have none or to have a power station that works on coal. We might grumble about the cost of living but we forget that we can now buy whatever we like and have got used to a certain standard of living. We might grumble about bureaucracy and red tape and maybe also about unfair practices but we forget how corrupt Labour governments were. We might grumble about security but we forget how insecure we were under Labour governments when people were killed when in police custody. We might grumble about how many funds were not tapped into but we have no worries about our leaders shaming us internationally. We might grumble about many things but we are free, we are respected, we are educated, we are healthy and we have good quality of life – these are the things that really matter.
Now I’m already hearing some idiots saying oh but that was ages ago… forget it. 1996-8 was a taster of what it is like to have a truly incompetent prime minister who managed to disrupt a country in a few months with consequences that were felt for many years after that. And you can already see the signs of what is to come with Labour back in power.
In 2008 the fact that the Labourites were so sure of winning brought out their real qualities and thank God the electorate saw right through them. This time many seem to want to give the new Labour leader a chance.
Dear Daphne, Government property is for the ĦBIEB tal-ĦBIEB like the Jag of Deguara which was sold by “auction” to the very same driver who drove the Minister around. Furthermore his wife’s sister had a New Red Alfa which as well, belongs to the government.
[Daphne – You might wish to note that government contracts on privatisation advice go to a lawyer who campaigns for Joseph Muscat’s party, while Joseph Muscat’s party criticises privatisation.]
‘Opportunists’ would sum up most of the candidates’ canvassers… all lobbying in return for a job in Brussels… making coffee, reading terribly bureaucratic papers but albeit all, working in Brux.
As for the candidates themselves, I can just get a sick bag. Save for a genuine few, most of them see it is a comfortable step up the paycheck ladder. Quite frankly, I’d rather see taxpayer’s money go to a national MP (not that I’m suggesting so doing) rather than a bureaucrat spending his days travelling between Strasbourg and Brussels.
[Daphne – National MPs are paid by the taxpayer.]
In the case of Attard Montalto (read: useless and pompous waste of space) travelling between Brussels and anywhere else possible in the world is what he’s after.
Oh well…results show how much thought people put into voting. Quite frankly, they’d do us more of a favour if they just don’t vote.
As an aside…rumour has it that the above-mentioned God’s-gift-to-earth was handing out cutlery sets on the eve of the election. Simply outrageous.
[Daphne – Yes, I put up a couple of posts on that. You’ll see them if you scroll down.]
Anglu Farrugia bil Jaguar…ma tarax…dak jordna iljunfant mill India !!!
Oh I see Michael Grech, Bertu Grech’s son, perhaps he was invited to sing an aria at Louis Grech’s do.
If Michael Grech wishes to further increase Joseph Muscat’s chances of becoming prime minister, then perhaps he should bring his wife on board as a style consultant to Mrs Muscat. After all, she does run Max Mara here.
And his sister’s husband owns Accessorise. Truly good contacts for our future first lady. (make that ‘second’ after the President’s wife). Shame what he has done to all his family.
I think you mean his sister’s husband’s brother’s wife ..
Don’t get your knickers in a twist over that one.
“He advises the government on privatisation, and then campaigns for the Labour Party while it criticises the government about privatisation issues”.
…but Ms. DCG, isn’t that a Nationalist Party’s virtue, erm.. weakness?
The government should turf him out because how can he be trusted to advise the government on sensitive issues?
At best he is unprofessional, an opportunist and a buffoon.
[Daphne – Yes, I agree. But if that happens, he will say that is has been turfed out because of his political opinions, and not because you can’t work for a client while at the same time doing your utmost to undermine that client.]
The moral of the story is that the government is far too trusting, and should re-think some of its choices. A prime minister cannot afford to have even one viper in his nest, still less several of them.
Michael Grech advises the government on privatisation and his loyalty is not in question because he is Austin Gatt’s cousin and the firm he works with includes former MP George Hyzler, who lives with Guido de Marco’s daughter, and the much respected Joe Zammit Maempel, who fights the Nationalist Party’s legal battles, or at least some of them. And then he reveals himself as a Labour Party supporter campaigning for the Labour ’cause’.
Grech at least revealed himself as somebody who is seeking to undermine the government while taking its money. But how many more of these are there, who do not reveal themselves, and who use their positions of trust to undermine the interests of those who trusted them?
@Jane above:
His sister’s husband owns Accessorise, together with his sister’s husband’s brother and sister, and the wife of his sister’s husband’s brother happens to manage the operation for his sister’s husband’s family. Capeesh ? Now I think everyone’s knickers are in a twist :)
Sorry Tony but, do we really care about who owns/manages what?
Michael Grech should know better, but obviously does not. I hope that his friend Joe ‘dak li jahseb jifehm fl’inbid’, u l’erba kavallieri l-ohra, will not be surprised when dinner party invitations cease to find their way into their letter boxes.
After what we used to hear about the respect he has for ”my friend Lawrence”, this was nothing but a stab in the back.
[Daphne – Yes, but if dinner party invitations cease, people like this claim that sentiment has turned against them because of their political opinions and not because of their lack of integrity. And that’s why people who demonstrate huge lack of integrity usually end up socialising mainly with others who are in the same boat. However, given that there are so many of them in this typically southern Mediterranean culture, they are spoiled for choice.]
And I just heard at Cordina’s that he is a Knight of Malta as well. Qualities to become a knight: charity, loyalty and integrity…..prosit, hej: kuntatti ma’ tal-fardal jonqsu.
“prosit, hej: kuntatti ma’ tal-fardal jonqsu”
Forsi diga’ ghandu.
Obviously this guy wants to make friends with the Labour Party so that he will have a better position in government. Come 2019 and he will change side again he is an opportunist. Maybe Labour will give him the role of re-nationalising the companies he advised this government on privatising.
No need to change back in 2019. There are more than enough heavy connections with the Nationalists in the law firm as it is. It would pay him to stay put, and thus keep a finger in every pie. So what’s new?
If the Michael Grech indicated is the one I know, I am indeed surprised and greatly disappointed. I rate him a clever chap. If he has no respect for the prime minister or his government and party at least I expected respect for his family.
But then this is Malta. Take the case of Salvinu Busuttil, who this government made ambassador to France – to my mind because of his friendship with the foreign minister of that time and not because of any particular merit. And yes, the government sympathised and believed his story about a member of his family needing treatment in Paris. Well, his time in Paris showed this was only part of the truth. His time was up and this same government gave him a further term, a total of six years in Paris. Not a bad posting. Gratitude? Respect for the government which helped him? Of course not. That is over. You see him being a parrinu to Marlene Mizzi as a Labour candidate whose bitterness against the prime minister and the government was evident in all she wrote and said.
Salvinu Busuttil’s quotation about her abilities graced the printed material she sent out before the election. These are the people who have the ability to exploit to the full their links with people in government but who have no sense of loyalty…. the worst is that you meet them at official receptions and other places and they expect to be considered still as respected friends.
He was also in her promotional video on YouTube. I think we’ll be seeing quite a lot more of this sort of thing, and not only involving the man you mention.
Noel, I can’t agree with you more on Salvino Busuttil. There is also Reginald Fava in Marlene’s endorsement process and video, and her reception. Completely up to him who he endorses, of course. But some Nationalist politicians, even a certain minister, believe that all these people who are so quick to endorse Labour candidates are supporters of the Nationalist Party and of the prime minister and share his vision. It’s not so. It’s time for a wake-up call. The PN needs to reach out to everyone but has to be mindful that not everyone likes it, sometimes for reasons that are not entirely political.
You mean this one?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yNm0AjHybKA
Staunch Nationalists don’t do anything for Labour candidates in their campaign beyond the normal bonds of friendship and blood ties. They certainly don’t reason that it’s all right as long as the election is not a national one. They also don’t muddy the waters they drink from.
It’s just not done, and not justifiable under any circumstances. One might say that this esteemed lawyer was a very good friend. I have very good friends who are politicians on both sides of the house, but the Labour ones have enough sense of propriety not to ask me to do anything to help them like this because they know that I would have the propriety not to oblige.
“I have very good friends who are politicians on both sides of the house”
A finger in every pie, Mario?
I see you are being your usual teasing self, Miss Mandy. I would probably eat the pies and not just stick fingers in. Yes, I have friends from both spectra. It’s good for perspective. And not all MLP people are bad no-hopers.
I thought it was one spectrum. How else could it give you perspective?
Prosit nazzjonalisti li vvotajtu PL jew ma vvotajtux.. Baghttu l-Ewopa, lil min iridna nhallsu ghas-sahha, lil min ma jimpurtahx L-Ewropa hix tajba jew le, l-aqwa li jirbah, u lil min ghandu huh li hlief hdura ma tohrogx min halqu. Nifirhilkom u nawguralkom li xhin tqedu raskom fuq l-imhadda ma torqdux
If his brother is going to help him write his speeches, they are going to be written in green ink.
Titbaqbaqx qalbi.Tghallem hu telfa b’dinjita.Nahseb kull persuna bi dritt tal-vot kellu bizzejjed cans jahseb u jirrifletti x’jaghmel bil-vot.
Mela din mhux rebha ghal Maltin u l-Ghawdxin kollha Albert?
@Mandy Mallia.
Joseph bought his car out of his money. AUstin paid for his from our taxes. That is the difference.
Jaqaw spiccalek il-lasonil Daphne qalbi?
[Daphne – Il-vera hamalli, jahasra. And just to clarify: ‘Austin’ did not pay for ‘his’ car ‘from our taxes’. The government bought a car for the minister’s use, and that car remains the property of the state. When your hero becomes prime minister, he can delegate its use to Anglu Farrugia or Toni Abela. It will still be there. If you are unfamiliar with the niceties of the system, you could always ask Michael Grech who, after gobbling up every contract he could thanks to his connections with the government, is now campaigning for Labour. I must hand it to you – you really are the party of rejects and of those of dubious integrity.]
Gianni – What you fail to realise is that “Joseph’s money” – that of his salary as Leader of the Opposition, and that of his salary (and eventual pension, of course) as an MEP “came from our taxes” too. Jolly good luck to him, but would you still have reasoned that way if the tables were turned?
Dr Gonzi says he is very responsible and I believe that, so I beg Dr Gonzi to work harder because it is very irresponsible to let Labour win the election of 2013 and leave us in Dr Muscat and Company’s hands.
[Daphne – The problem is not the prime minister but certain MPs who appear to be under the impression that it is all about them and what they want and what they feel. They behave like company employees seeking benefits and promotion, instead of being conscious every step of the way that they are the representatives of the people who voted them in, and it is the interests of those people they should seek to look after, and not their own. But it’s me, me, me, all the way. If they don’t give a damn about the solidity of the government and are happy to further the Labour Party’s interests through their one-track-minded behaviour, then they should bear in mind that their feelings are not the issue. The issue is that their constituents don’t feel the same way. We didn’t vote them in so that they could help the Labour Party or think about themselves. We voted them in because we wanted Lawrence Gonzi as prime minister, and if they undermine him, we will take note of that when we vote in 2013. If they are not prepared to do what they have been elected to do, then they should resign their seats and do something else, allowing their place to be taken by people whose first priority isn’t Me, Myself and I.]
I can’t understand what went wrong in this election. Is there going to be a report about this?
[Daphne – Oh, I understand very well. Muscat’s coalition is the coalition of the disaffected, the same coalition that will eventually bring him down.]
I must say that this government is doing what it can to instill some discipline, but we are spoiled and selfish: “jew ittini li rrid fil-but jew nivvota Labour”.
Just found that column about the EP elections (after all, it was about Europe, as well): dumped politicians in Brussels, xenophobia, right-wingers AND Martin Schulz:
http://www.spiegel.de/international/europe/0,1518,629433,00.html
– And anyone who has witnessed just a single appearance by the Social Democrat’s leading candidate in the European elections, Martin Schulz, could have predicted that not even SPD chancellor candidate Frank-Walter Steinmeier could help him.
Why do you say Michael is campaigning for the Labour…maybe he just went for the beer.
[Daphne – He says so himself, most notably on television. I’m pretty sure he can afford his own beer, with all the work he’s been scrounging off the government thanks to his connections. I suppose he hopes to ensure that the good times will continue to roll after 2013. There’s a word for people like this in Maltese, and it begins with ‘q’. And no, I don’t mean the Labour thug from Zejtun, either.]
Mela hej, ma jxrobx il-birra. Daqs kemm hu fussy: “No Maltese wine, thank you, ghax dak ghall-peasants, jaqq, please tini xi Bordeaux.” @*^@*$£! “Pero xi konvenju ghal xi ghalqa halli f’idejja.” Oops.
I am quite appalled at the viciousness of these attacks and agree with Albert Farrugia; Daphne, you have crossed the line.
Michael Grech has every right to campaign for whom he likes irrespective of familial ties and professional obligations.
[Daphne – Yes, he has the right to campaign and everyone else has the right to criticise him for doing so if they want to. I trust this is not a novel concept to you. Just as you are appalled at my ‘attacks’, I am appalled at his behaviour. Enter public life and politics, and you’re open to criticism. If he didn’t want criticism, he should have gone to vote Labour without making a song and dance about it.]
Besides, in this case it happened to be for someone who is acknowledged by both parties to be both capable and very middle of the road.
[Daphne – A vote for Louis Grech is a vote for the Labour Party and an endorsement of Joseph Muscat. He is using Michael Grech’s vote to attack the government. Similarly, I am using Michael Grech’s vote to attack him. It works both ways.]
Unfortunately, comments like this only succeed in attracting vicious types like ‘Tony Pace’ who seem hell bent on creating issues where there aren’t any.
[Daphne – ‘Tony Pace’ is not vicious at all. I happen to know him well. He is merely impatient with fools and spineless people, as I am.]
Daphne is right on this one – See Michael Grech at 5′ 04 on this video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GajsxB6-FzQ
(He seems on a par with Leo Brincat, Lino Spiteri, George Vella … Cringe-making, if nothing else.)
Kollox kif imur, bl-ingravata hamra ippoza ghall-camera
Cut him off, Austin’s cousin or not.
Maybe the Nationalists should adopt a hard line like Labour would have done if they won the last election. How can anyone forget such phrases uttered with foaming mouths like, ‘Inkunu gvern tal-Laburisti’ and ‘Ghandna lista ta min ser impoggu u fejn, biex ma jkunx hemm tahwid’ and ‘ghaj ghal ghajn – sinna ghal sinna’.
Turfing Michael Grech out is justified and he would have brought it on himself. You cannot trust an adviser whose judgment is so very impaired that he has complete disregard for the bread and butter the government has graciously put on his table.
[Daphne- That’s not the main reason that the government should cut him off, though. The main reason is that he is privy to certain government information while he is working against the government’s interests.]
Oh lasonil is for hamalli? Maybe you prefer Blue Pain Relief, Censu Farrugia (Mr mhux wiehed mhux tnejn mhux tlieta) can give you some of his, after all his deputy is a regular contributor on your blog.
Talking about hamalli, I didn’t see any labourites celebrating by waving wigs, even if two of the 10 PN candidates wear one. I remember last year nationalists running around with animal guts, to insult Sant about his cancer. Just goes on to show who are the real hamalli.
Kompli nharaq sabiha :) U idlek kemm tiflah lasonil ghax ghadek misluha bit-tkaxkira. I bet you wont publish this comment in full, mahruqa wisq hihi
[Daphne – You can’t possibly have seen people celebrating with animal guts unless you were out there celebrating as well. I was, in several locations – but not at the same time like Marlene Mizzi and Padre Pio – and I saw no animal guts at all. I imagine the last thing on anyone’s mind was going to the butcher’s that day.]
“I didn’t see any labourites celebrating by waving wigs.”
Elementary, my dear Gannison. They would’ve been lynched by their own crowd.
Maybe I live in a nationalist stronghold? Maybe carcades happened to pass from the street where I live? Maybe you don’t have to be in a crowd to see what that crowd is doing? Everytime the nationalists win an election I hear some new swear-word coming from the people in the black-flag carcades, so middle-class!
[Daphne – Oh, so you live in Sliema, do you? Well, I can assure you there were no animal guts around, though there were plenty of hot-dogs and hamburgers.]
In 1996 there were cash registers tied to car bumpers. A few days later these cash registers were covered in tape and back in use.
Back in the 80s it was rabbits.
No, Helene, not simply “rabbits”, but half-skinned LIVE rabbits. It shows what sort of people they are.
Daphne i can assure you it happened even if we were’nt out there celebrating (mela x’naghmel)….but i have friends who did and were rather disgusted.
[Daphne – I had friends who saw the Madonna walk on water at Balluta Bay when we were children. And Angelik Caruana has friends who see him attacked by devils. It’s called suggestibility. That, and Chinese whispers.]
At the time of Dr.Sant’s illness there were also various comments about his illness that classify those who wrote them as animals.You could see these in some sites at that time.These are times were we are supposed to unite as maltese not decline to such low standards.Maybe at Swieqi they are pretty more educated.
[Daphne – Unlike you, I tend not to believe hearsay.]
Austin: kugin ta Lou , kugin ta’ Michael , habib tal-billy , kien l-universita ma Laurence , gholla il-prezzijiet tal-kawzi fil-qorti , dahhal sistema tal-wardens , dahhal sistema tas-speed cameras , zied bi zball il-prezz tad-dawl , ta’ l-ilma tal-petrol , tad-diesel , u tal-gass , tal-licenzji tal karozzi.
Iggieled ma’ Marlene Mizzi , u ruxxmata chaipersons ohra li jkun lahhaq hu ,ma’ tat-taksis , tal-linja u tal-funerali,u tal-mini buses, sfida lil-imsiehba socjali kollha .
Baqghalu johloq iktar ghedewwa lil Gonzi?
Jaqaw trid tilhaq floku?
Hi Daphne
Regarding integrity of people if what you said is true about campaigning for Labour whilst being a consultant to the government, I tend to agree with you.
This is another reason why there is a need of change of government. I am not saying Labour should be given power easily; it shouldn’t be that way. However, it is not healthy for a democracy to have the same people running the country for 25 years or more.
The more opposition parties are kept out of power the more desperate they may become – what do you think?
[Daphne – Yes. Which is why they clutch at straws like Michael Grech. The Labour Party built a campaign around l-arroganza ta’ Austin Gatt. And what does Austin Gatt’s cousin do, after years of consultancy work for the government? He goes and votes for them. That’s a betrayal on two counts: of his family and of his client. If he’ll do that to them, he won’t think twice about doing it to Joseph Muscat.]
Like it nor not guys, Michael Grech has every right to campaign for whom he wishes, and in whatsoever way he chooses.
Integrity has nothing to do with it. Besides, he was quite brave in the circumstances. Few of us still believe the Nationalist Party to be squeaky clean, as their billboards suggest. If you’re honest with yourself, you’d agree here.
[Daphne – Oh get a grip. If the Nationalist Party isn’t squeaky clean, then what is the Godforsaken Labour Party? ll-vera kaz. Yes, Michael Grech can campaign for Labour. And others can (1) laugh at him, (2) criticise him, (3) think of him as vain and silly. He’s always struck me as somebody overly concerned with his image. Well, tell him from me – as you are obviously a friend – that his image has been shot to hell. And not because he campaigned for Labour, but because he’s now classified as a purcinell, except, of course, by his select circle who are too bloody stuck-up their own arses, but then don’t mind being on a promotional video with George Vella, or promoting Anglu Farrugia’s interests. How low can you go….and I don’t mean socially.]
Mr. Grech expressed the inexpressible, and frankly, ought to get credit for what he did. He stood to lose, more than gain.
[Daphne – The dignified course of action would be to express it in a newspaper article as an independent opinion. To express the inexpressible, one does not need to use the vehicle of a political party. Our ability to act in certain ways is qualified by who we are. I have been expressing the inexpressible for around 20 years, and not once did you see me going on Super One to do it. Even this is expressing the inexpressible: I can assure you that more is being said behind Dr Grech’s back right now than to his face. At least he knows what I think, and not what I choose to tell him.]
Let’s not get all Taliban about this, please.
(*) Really, what did you suggest he do? Cross the pond like the other Louis and broadcast on Radju Malta Fl’ Ewropa?
[Daphne – He could try growing up. The man strikes me above all as…..lacking manhood.]
Relevant people are always consulted. I recall the campaign against “il-barunijiet”. Marin Hili remained chairman of Malta Freeport in 1996. During the PN administrations there were Prof Scicluna at MFSA, Louis Grech at Air Malta and Marlene Mizzi at Sea Malta.
The way Austin Gatt treated her created another valid credible ‘enemy’. I recall Gonzi trying to mend fences with Ms Mizzi. If she can manage a small business she can manage a bigger one. As the Maltese saying goes “min jaghmel qoffa jaghmel qartalla”, literally translated: “If one is able to make a small wicker basket , one can make a big basket”.
[Daphne – Honestly, John. As if. Nobody can move from running a small shop in Rabat and another small shop in Valletta to running a national merchant shipping line. And to be frank, only a presumptuous person would take on that job without the right experience. I run my own thing, too, and it’s a hell of a lot more complicated than a shop. But if anyone asked me to run a shipping company I would say ‘No thanks. Get somebody with the right background.’]
No witch-hunts please: Michael Grech just wanted to experiment with his vote for MEP; he voted Grech because they are good friends. And Grech is really good. No big deal, Daphne. Ma’ waqqax ‘il-gvern! In the beginning of this campaign you yourself declared that one of your boys is staying in Holland.
[Daphne – Yes. He voted for a Dutch candidate. He did not return to Malta to vote Labour, like Michael Grech. This is not a witch-hunt, unless you consider Michael Grech to be a witch. It is something else entirely. But then I have had differences of opinion with you before about matters of integrity, values and principles. I guess you and I come from different social cultures. Yes, Louis Grech is Michael’s friend. But Austin Gatt is his family and also his client. So basic decency, if nothing else, should have dictated that he refrains from voting for a party that has built its campaign around ‘Austin Gatt’s arrogance’ and ‘Austin Gatt’s water and electricity bills’, still less going on an official Labour promotional video encouraging others to vote like him. There are no words that can adequately describe such behaviour. A vote is a serious matter with serious consequences. It is not something you ‘experiment’ with.]
I hope I’m not defending a brown noser or boot licker. People in his position don’t look at politics on an extreme partisan level like some diehards here are doing.
[Daphne – You got the wrong end of the stick. People ‘in his position’, whatever that is, usually stay well clear of endorsing anyone or any party, even though he is associated with one party already while endorsing the other one.]
He made a mistake for publicly supporting Louis, but in my opinion he still has a lot to offer. Malta cannot afford people like him to be thrown out of the window.
He remains an expert in his field. I cannot defend Salvinu. In my opinion he does not fall into Michael’s category. Mrs Zammit Dimech had two sons in opposing political parties; the Mifsud Bonnicis had KMB. Louis Galea and Professor Buhagiar are cousins and Notary Cilia is married to their cousin. To whom should their cousins show loyalty?
[Daphne – It all depends on the family, but one would assume to the cousins who put bread on your table at least.]
Should anyone show loyalty to an arrogant cousin?
[Daphne – Yes.]
All my relatives are pro Labour, should I switch sides?
[Daphne – I hate to tell you this, but somehow I guessed that. Your political views are too mixed, and you have certain prejudices that I associate with Labour sympathisers.]
The truth is that In these elections we could relax a little and try something new to keep our politicians anxious.
[Daphne – So you did it, too – hence the defence of Michael Grech, which I suspected immediately was nothing more than self-justification. My comment above refers.]
“The truth is that In these elections we could relax a little and try something new to keep our politicians anxious”
I didn’t, but I can easily say that many people do it. After all you wrote this, these are your words.
[Daphne – Really.]
“we could relax a little and try something new to keep our politicians anxious.” Well, if that isn’t perverse thinking of the first order, I don’t know what is. So you voted for someone you don’t really believe in just for the hell of of winding up somebody else? That’s called cutting your nose to spite your face. How about voting for someone who you feel represents your ideas?
John Schembri, I also come from a Labour family but have never had any qualms about voting and campaigning for the PN because I made my choice knowingly and accepted the consequences. I never used my family’s MLP connections to gain some personal advantage while covertly working for the PN, however. This Grech fellow can vote and campaign for whomever he wants but should not expect to remain a trusted government advisor when he has thrown in his lot with the PL. He has eaten his cake now and I hope Austin Gatt does not offer him another slice.
[Daphne – Really.]
Yes you wrote just that.You were saying inter alia that there was no need of this panic; it’s just the MEP elections, so much so that your son won’t be coming to vote in Malta. He’s voting in Holland. In my opinion he did the right thing and your article of the 30th April 2009 is nearer to the truth.I put the link again: http://daphnecaruanagalizia.com/2009/04/30/an-obsession-with-voting
“But surely there is no room for neurosis in a European Parliament election? We can afford to relax a little and come across as a little less sick than we are: no ballot boxes in Cyprus, no residents struck off the roll, and please, no dead and dying on stretchers.”
And this:”The only party – and I struggle not to wrap the word in inverted commas – that is championing their cause is Alternattiva, which promotes itself as The Greens and so understands that it has a very good market right there.”
AD served as the stepping stone for new experimental Labour votes.
@Corinne Vella: I voted LP from Number twelve upwards; I use my vote to the full. My vote could have picked up the right Labour MEPs (not Montalto or Sharon).
People don’t like to give “too much power” to a government which is perceived as arrogant.
It’s getting a little difficult to follow your train of thought. What, exactly, is your point? John Attard Montalto was elected.
@Corinne: If people voted like I did we would have had Marlene instead of John. The better of two evils, call it what you like.
My train of thought is very simple: if one gives a preference to each and every candidate all the candidates will get elected with a quota. All the voters who voted PN and stopped there could have elected the opposition MEPs when their party was eliminated.
Imma din bis-serjeta???
Live and let live.
Dur dawra madwarek Daphne!
Qed tghir ghax kkwista taht il-PN Jaqaw ma kkwistajt xejn int??
Nahseb le ghax madoff dejjem hsiebek fin-nies.
This is not the usual D. Muscat … there is no space between the D. & Muscat in this signature.
Usualy I post comments in this blog only during the exciting time of election results because Daphne seems to have an edge. Otherwise I rarely surf this blog. As a Nationalist I find the views expressed here too extreme and in the long run damaging the PN cause. Nevertheless this is my personal view and I may be wrong.
Once Dr. Grech is a public figure being paid from our taxes, he should declare openly his support for the Labour Party and attend its public meetings – with a red flag in his hand, unless he is one of those who wants to eat with many mouths.
I was a born into a Labour family and became an official of both the MLP and the GWU, but when I decided to start voting for the PN I started to attend its public meetings. I still remember PN supporters’ awe at my presence, whilst some others would put out their hands to me as a gesture of appreciation.
I do not know Dr Grech and I am not at all interested in knowing him, not even if he was the cousin of Barack Obama. I know many persons who would vouch that they have changed their political party but when they are in the polling booth they vote again for ‘their’ original party, and ensure that the top brass of that original party are made aware of it.
One final point – the comment by tal-Muzew on Irene Montesin, Chiara and Vince Farrugia was not only unfair but totally below the belt. The gentleman – I should say the coward who hid his name – did not complain when Chiara participated in the IVA song, when Irene interviewed Gonzi and made it public that she was supporting the PN. With regards to Vince, he was very active in MEUSAC and the Changing to the Euro campaign, and he did this when he was still looked at as a Labour supporter.
I myself had written numerous articles criticising the PN and telling people to vote for Mintoff. Suffice it to say that I was a member of an MLP/GWU committee who prepared the electoral manifestos for the 1971 and 1976 general elections. Last Saturday, I was a PN candidate for the local election in Pieta, on the invitation of Dr. L. Gonzi himself, who also invited Vince Farrugia to be one of the ten candidates for the EP election.
Michael you’re wrong about Eileen, Chiara and Vince. Can’t you see they go out of their way to show us that they have truely become Staunch Nationalists?
Take this example for instance, but it is the other way round.
Albert Gauci Cunningham wrote a letter in The Times to show us that now he is a LP convert. He has every right ot do so, but (and a big BUT) he wrote his letter conveniently on Thursday before the MEPs election, just one day before Friday when he couldn’t have been answered and the damage was done. He even wrote in his letter that he is gay (I don’t know what that has got to do with his change of party). He did it to gain sympathy of course and it propably worked.
Read for yourself
http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20090604/letters/confessions-of-a-labour-party-convert
“He even wrote in his letter that he is gay (I don’t know what that has got to do with his change of party).”
Maybe it was something to do with a peacock.
Michael Seychell,
“I still remember PN supporters’ awe at my presence, whilst some others would put out their hands to me as a gesture of appreciation.”
I was one of those PN supporters and your stand against Mintoff boosted our morale considerably. I remember going with my friends to Cospicua to spray “Viva Mike Seychell” on the walls of the dockyard, opposite the MLP club and near the Cafe Riche. Eventually I was caught and spent two days under arrest. Ah, the good old days.
[Daphne – Oh, we have a vandal in our midst. Careful, Antoine, or you’ll end up being accused of setting a bad example to to your students – though really, of course, it’s a very good example.]
It was a dull, grimy wall and I contributed some red graffiti to liven it up. These days everybody is talking about “sending a message” to the government; back then the spray can was our message. A cheap and cheerful way to give the finger to an odious regime.
Huh, red tie ‘n all. Thank goodness you indicated the positioning. I would never have stomached all 7 minutes of that diatribe.
The guy gets given a position of trust by the prime minister and then he stabs him in the back. Dik irgulijja! The very least he can do is resign from that position, pronto………….. some hope, that’s too decent a thing to expect from this type of character.
Reading your article about Michael Grech makes me angry and disappointed. I never voted PN for personal gain but it seems that there are people who do that. U lesti jxxejru zewg bnadar basta buthom jimtela.
This looks like Sicilian (and Italian) politics, where key figures change loyalties between one cycle and another.
Speaking of MPs, you should inform readers who they are so that next time constituents do not make the same mistake and vote instead for those whose interest is the well-being of their voters. I think that Arrigo and Pullicino Orlando are two of the MPs who want something, and they are vocal about it. It’s one thing criticising the government on one issue (which might be actually healthy), while it’s a different matter when you purposely diasagree on anything, and publicly rather than during internal meetings.
I am surprised at your surprise and total indignation.
Integrity – absurd – betrayal – snouts in the trough – changing of colours – looking after me me me – this is the real world of politics – if you cannot stand the heat get out of the kitchen – it’s all about power, influence and self promotion – no niceties here – how totally naive of you all to think otherwise. And if he wants to campaign against his own employer (subject to the official secrets act of course – is there one in Malta?) so be it. His right to do so in a democracy is as strong as your right to criticise him.
[Daphne – There are many things I have a right to do which I should never do. That’s the point.]
So what’s the solution you propose? Should all PL sympathizers declare themselves, be made to wear an armband clearly indicating this and forced to refuse any government work? Do you also propose that all Labourites be sacked from the civil service?
[Daphne – Have you forgotten that three of Labour EP candidates – Marlene Mizzi, Louis Grech and Edward Scicluna – held very senior positions of trust under successive Nationalist governments? Michael Grech’s story is a classic parable of vanity and how easy it is for ego-flatterers to get to you if you crave attention. It is not about voting Labour.]
What’s so wrong about the fact that Marlene Mizzi, Louis Grech and Edward Scicluna held senior posts under successive Nationalist governments? Is that not a sign of political maturity. Is that not what meritocracy is all about?
[Daphne – Yes, though in the first case, it was more of a situation of not wishing to turn her into a martyr by removing her, I imagine. Then look what happened.]
Daphne, your comments about Michael Grech are so long winded and repetitive!
I am most surprised at his choice of tie. Knowing that he was going to be filmed, his tie colour was sending out a signal to anyone who was viewing him. He seems to be quite desperate to get accepted within socialist circles. He looks like a little boy in a playground who puts his shirt out and takes off his tie to try to act cool and get accepted by the troublemakers and the bullies.
What baffles me is that once the video was recorded how did the final result of the filming end up being one in which Michael strings together sentences in broken Maltese which have no logic to them? Or did they lose their patience at filming him repeatedly? What does ‘ghandu track record’ say about someone you are praising? Mhux kulhadd ghandu ‘track record’? An adjective should follow this phrase eg ‘tajjeb’, ‘ta’ success’.
And his final words of wisdom, expressed in his jittery Maltese, were ‘certament jista’ iservi pajjizna fil-parlament ewropew’ – mur obsor. The point should have been to praise Louis for the way he would represent Malta in the EP not to say that he can certainly represent Malta. Michael, if you are going to go public while speaking in Maltese you should memorise a couple of adjectives.
Hi Daphne,
There are two points I’d like to make.
First of all, I know Michael Grech well and he is a person of
great integrity and the utmost professionalism. Anyone
who really knows him will agree with me on this and on
the fact that there is no truth in the above remarks.
Secondly, Louis Grech has been a close friend for over
forty years and one of the reasons his Nationalist
friends are so fond of him is that he has never tried to
pursuade them to vote for him or the Labour Party
{re your blog about Jason Micallef).
[Daphne – Cikki, come on. Louis Grech ran a concerted campaign among a certain group of people this time round. That’s how I know about it. “He has never tried to persuade them to vote for him or the Labour Party” – a vote for Louis Grech IS a vote for the Labour Party. The two are inseparable, and I imagine that those who put a mental brick wall between the two realised they were in denial only when they woke up to hear Joseph Muscat crowing about all his new tal-pepe converts and people who had voted Labour for the first time.
I laugh when I think of who some of those people are, and how they demeaned themselves by letting themselves become a notch on Muscat’s bedpost. Over my dead body…. As for Michael Grech’s integrity, I fear he hasn’t any. Intregity by definition cannot be compartmentalised: you’ve either got it or you haven’t. He cannot have it in some situations but not in others. Putting on a red tie to appear in a Labour Party official promotional video sandwiched between Leo Brincat and George Vella to tell people to vote Labour is, coming from him, the act of a purcinell, and not of a man of integrity. It’s not so much his choice of vote as the charlatan showmanship, complete with – yes – red tie. I’m sorry, I can’t agree with you here. I like Louis Grech but I would never vote for him, because a vote for Louis is a vote for Labour and another scalp for that prat. The very thought of him crowing because Sylvia G voted Labour – honestly, il-vera tal-biki u tal-misthija.]
People “of great integrity and utmost professionalism” would not accept consultancy contracts from one party and then handle an electoral campaign for their opponents.
It is very unfortunate to see how much time and energy has been wasted on this page talking about PN’s and PL’s (local) interests when this was clearly occasion to vote for something of a higher interest and forget about perennial squabbling amongst these two political groups. I cannot agree with either of them on many topics and would therefore agree with Michael Grech that pragmatism should be exercised, at least, in the European elections, since locally (in any political fora) it seems impossible. This may, one day, bring political pluralism to Malta, which will allow everyone to vote for those that they really believe in. So, why not Louis Grech today? Or Mickey Mouse, for that matter, since that would definitely be a vote for the country!
I cannot understand anyone trying to excuse Dr Grech’s despicable, disloyal and unethical behaviour. At the risk of repeating everything that has been said about the whole issue, this man simply betrayed the trust that was given him by the party in government.
Michael has a government appointment, consulting on privatisation (of which the opposition is highly critical). Had he resigned his post, it would have been a different matter. He would have been perfectly free, as everyone indeed is, to back the Labour Party’s candidate, Louis Grech, to endorse him at ‘parties’ and to influence people to vote for him, people who incidentally should know better and whose family businesses have benefitted immensely these last two decades under a Nationalist government – might I add, by tendering for huge projects and winning them fair and square, something which would never have happened under a Labour regime.
Dr Grech will find that the friends he influenced to vote Labour (“ghax dan habib kbir, ghandu track record, u l’aktar persuna li tista taghmel dan ix-xoghol”…….vomit, vomit) are the very ones who are now denying him, but then ”Ghidli ma min taghmila u nghidlek int min int”.
I’m afraid Dr Grech has let himself down, and let down his family, colleagues and friends too, very badly, and the social circles he aspires to will not be taking kindly to his ridiculous behaviour.
On the same note as some comments posted, is it true that Silvio Zammit (of Peppi fame) did not vote because the government refuses to give him a permanent encroachment right over the property he is occupying on the Sliema front? If it’s so, then here’s another example of someone who’s lapped it up for 22 years and kicks his “protector” in the face.
To me it seems that the whole issue is built around Michael Grech being a government consultant, and therefore privy to sensitive info. Alas, he should not campaign for the opposition. A little bird is telling me that the basis of this is wrong, ie that MG does not work for the government, but has acted for the private companies interested (ie on the opposite side of the table) in the assets that have been privatised. Doesn’t this make the whole article false? Perhaps you should be a bit more careful before turning out the guns. Or is the actual truth just an inconvenience that shouldn’t come in the way of a good old blood-bath?
[Daphne – That is just one aspect of the issue. What really gets me is the infantile exhibitionism (“I’m going to be daring, vote Labour and wear a red tie on an official Labour video with Leo Brincat and George Vella”) coupled with the weird stupidity (“I want to be in with the in crowd, hang around with rich old ladies and knights, but then slum it with Anglu Farrugia”) and the absolute lack of pride in letting himself be used like a scalp or a bedpost notch (“We’ve converted Michael Grech to Labour.”). It takes all sorts, I suppose, but count me out.)